Happy International Women’s Day: Child Marriage in South Sudan: Addressing Challenges and Seeking Remedies

By Deng Bol Aruai Bol, Juba, South Sudan

Wednesday, 8 March 2023 (PW) — In February, social media was awash in a highly contentious case of alleged child marriage in South Sudan that caused public uproar and created a divide between supporters and opponents of the practice. The incident highlighted the tribal and cultural complexities surrounding child marriage in the country, with those opposed to the practice often seen as challenging traditional customs.

Moreover, even young girls who spoke out against child marriage were criticized for promoting foreign values that contradict their tribal culture. Such entrenched views make it challenging to address the issue of child marriage in South Sudan, perpetuated by cultural, social, and economic factors. This article will explore these complexities and discuss possible solutions to this critical issue.

Child Marriage in the World

Child marriage is a widespread issue that affects millions of girls worldwide. According to UNICEF, an estimated 650 million women alive today are married before their 18th birthday, and more than 12 million girls are married before 18 every year. Child marriage violates children’s rights and severely affects their health, education, and well-being.

Child marriage is a global issue in many parts of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Unfortunately, it is perpetuated by a combination of factors, including poverty, gender inequality, and harmful cultural and social norms that prioritize early marriage for girls over their education and personal development.

Child Marriage in South Sudan

Child marriage is a pervasive issue in South Sudan, with high prevalence rates of 52% of girls married before age 18 and 9% married before age 15. The practice is deeply rooted in the country’s culture and traditions. It is seen as a way of protecting girls from poverty and sexual exploitation and finding suitors before it’s too late. However, child marriage has serious consequences for the health and well-being of girls.

Girls who are married at a young age are at higher risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes associated with early pregnancy and childbirth, including maternal mortality, obstetric fistula, and other complications. Child marriage also limits girls’ access to education and opportunities for personal and professional growth, perpetuating cycles of poverty and disempowerment. Additionally, child brides are more vulnerable to domestic violence and sexual abuse, as they often lack the autonomy to negotiate safe and healthy relationships with their partners.

To address the issue of child marriage in South Sudan, it is essential to understand the root causes and engage with families, communities, and other stakeholders to change social norms and attitudes toward girls’ education and empowerment. It requires a comprehensive approach that includes raising awareness about the negative impacts of child marriage and promoting access to education and healthcare services for girls. In addition, the government must enforce laws and policies that protect children’s rights, especially girls, and create a legal system that ensures accountability and protection for those at risk of child marriage.

Legal Provisions and Enforcement

Legal provisions and enforcement are crucial in the fight against child marriage in South Sudan. International and local legal instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the South Sudan Child Act, provide legal frameworks that prohibit child marriage and emphasize the importance of protecting children’s rights, including the right to education and protection from all forms of exploitation. Yet, despite these legal protections, child marriage remains prevalent in the country.

One of the primary challenges in enforcing these laws is the lack of political will to address the issue of child marriage. This is particularly evident in conflict-affected areas, where law enforcement is weak or non-existent, and customary practices and beliefs still hold significant sway. As a result, there is a need to strengthen institutions that protect children’s rights and increase the capacity of legal and judicial authorities to enforce these laws.

Another challenge is the complexity of the legal framework. South Sudan has a plural legal system, where customary and religious laws coexist with the state legal system. These traditional and religious laws often allow child marriage and may contradict the national legal framework, creating confusion and contradictions in the legal system. Addressing this issue requires coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders, including legal and judicial authorities, community leaders, and civil society organizations.

To address the challenge of legal provisions and enforcement, it is essential to prioritize protecting children’s rights, particularly the right to education and protection from all forms of exploitation, including child marriage. This requires a multi-sectoral approach that involves strengthening legal and judicial institutions, addressing cultural and religious norms that promote child marriage, and increasing awareness about the negative impacts of child marriage. In addition, engaging with communities, including traditional and religious leaders, is essential to develop community-led approaches that can help prevent child marriage and promote girls’ education and empowerment.

Cultural Interferences and Contributing Factors

Child marriage has a significant presence in the culture and customs of South Sudan, where it is viewed as a means of safeguarding a girl’s future and shielding her from poverty. Factors such as poverty, limited education, and gender discrimination further exacerbate the issue, with girls from low-income households at a higher risk of early marriage. At the same time, those without access to schooling are particularly vulnerable to it.

In addition to poverty, limited education, and gender discrimination, other factors contribute to child marriage in South Sudan. One such factor is the ongoing conflict and displacement in the country, which can leave families struggling to provide for their children and may result in girls being married off at a young age as a means of securing their safety, such her being taken by the husband to a better place or reducing the economic burden on their families.

Social norms and beliefs are often deeply entrenched in communities, significantly perpetuating child marriage in South Sudan. For example, some communities believe that girls should be married off as soon as they reach puberty, and early marriage is a way of preserving cultural traditions.

Moreover, in some areas, there is a perception that marriage enhances a girl’s social status while remaining unmarried past a certain age reduces her value and is viewed as a source of shame. Girls staying past a certain age can also be seen as not beautiful enough, something is wrong with their behaviour, or there are social deficiencies in their family, leading to social pressure to marry them off.

Limited access to healthcare services, particularly reproductive health services, can also contribute to child marriage in South Sudan. Families may marry off their daughters to avoid premarital sexual activity or to prevent the social stigma associated with pregnancy outside of marriage.

To address child marriage in South Sudan, it is crucial to address these underlying factors, including poverty, limited education, gender inequality, social norms, conflict, and limited access to healthcare. This requires a comprehensive approach involving community engagement, increasing access to education and healthcare services, and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Additionally, addressing the issue of child marriage will require a sustained effort by all stakeholders, including government, civil society, and local communities.

Efforts to Address the Issue

Multiple stakeholders are taking action to tackle the issue of child marriage in South Sudan. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based, and faith-based groups are working together to raise awareness about the harmful effects of child marriage and promote girls’ education, health, and well-being. These organizations also provide support services for girls at risk of child marriage, including counselling and skills training, to help them become more self-sufficient and empowered.

The government has launched campaigns to prevent child marriage and protect children’s rights, especially girls, by enforcing laws and policies prohibiting child marriage. The government is also collaborating with civil society organizations, international partners, and religious and traditional leaders to address the root causes of child marriage and promote girls’ education and empowerment.

Engaging with families, community leaders, and religious institutions is crucial to the efforts to end child marriage in South Sudan. This involves raising awareness about the negative impacts of child marriage and changing social norms and attitudes toward gender roles and sexuality. In addition, community-led approaches that include working with families and communities to develop alternative practices to child marriage, such as delaying marriage until girls reach the age of 18, are also being implemented.

Role of Government and Political Parties

The government and political parties are responsible for ending child marriage in South Sudan. The government must lead in strengthening the legal framework and enforcing laws protecting children’s rights, including laws prohibiting child marriage. This requires creating a more robust legal system that ensures accountability and protection for girls at risk of child marriage. The government should also work to increase access to education and healthcare services, especially for girls from low-income families, to reduce the risk of child marriage.

Political parties, such as the Common Peoples Alliance (CPA), can also be critical in ending child marriage in South Sudan. Political parties have a platform to raise awareness about the negative impacts of child marriage and promote girls’ education and empowerment. They can also use their influence to advocate for policy changes that promote gender equality and support efforts to end child marriage.

Furthermore, the government and political parties must work together to develop and implement comprehensive strategies addressing the underlying cultural, social, and economic factors contributing to child marriage. This requires a collaborative effort between the government, political parties, civil society organizations, and communities to promote girls’ education and empowerment, increase access to healthcare services, and change harmful social norms and attitudes toward gender roles and sexuality.

Recommendations and the Way Forward

To address the issue of child marriage in South Sudan, there is a need for a multi-sectoral approach that involves all stakeholders. Therefore, the following recommendations can be implemented to address the issue:

1. Strengthen the legal framework and enforce laws that protect children’s rights, including the South Sudan Child Act and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
2. Raise awareness about the negative impacts of child marriage and promote girls’ education and empowerment. This can be done through campaigns, community engagement, and targeted programs that promote girls’ education and provide alternative livelihood opportunities.
3. Invest in poverty reduction and economic empowerment programs targeting vulnerable households, especially those in poverty. This will reduce the economic pressure on families to marry off their daughters at a young age.
4. Strengthen child protection systems, including committees, to prevent child marriage and protect girls at risk.
5. Address the cultural and social norms contributing to child marriage through community engagement and dialogue. This can be done through traditional and religious leaders who significantly influence their communities.
6. Involve men and boys in the efforts to end child marriage. Men and boys are crucial in ending child marriage, as they are often the decision-makers in families and communities.
7. Ensure access to quality education for girls and address barriers to education, such as early marriage, early pregnancy, and gender discrimination.
8. Improve access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, to enable girls to make informed decisions about their health and future.
9. Promote girls’ participation in decision-making processes and leadership roles, including political and economic spheres.
10. Engage with civil society organizations, international partners, and religious and traditional leaders to create a coordinated and comprehensive approach to ending child marriage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ending child marriage in South Sudan requires a multi-sectoral approach that involves all stakeholders. By strengthening the legal framework, promoting girls’ education and empowerment, addressing the cultural and social norms contributing to child marriage, and awakening men and boys in the efforts to end child marriage, we can take significant steps toward protecting the rights and well-being of girls in South Sudan.

Furthermore, it is vital to ensure access to quality education and sexual and reproductive health services and promote girls’ participation in decision-making processes and leadership roles to enable them to reach their full potential and contribute to their communities and society.

The author, Deng Bol Aruai Bol, leads the Common Peoples Alliance (CPA), a social democratic party in South Sudan. He brings extensive expertise in politics, governance, human rights, and democracy and has contributed significantly to public discourse. Deng Bol is a committed advocate of social justice and the ideals of the SPLM/A liberation struggle, and he is actively engaged in addressing the country’s political challenges. He holds an MBA in Management and is currently pursuing a PhD degree. If you wish to connect with him, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him at dengbolaruaibol@gmail.com.

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